MK Saturday Evening - A Waste?

[mom2rtk]

So this was my experience last Saturday late at MK (EMH 1-3am)

- Got to MK around midnight (had been at Universal/IOA the whole day). Was recognised by a CM that I'd spoken to while watching the Kiss Goodnight earlier in the week, who said that they were open until 3am and the park was pretty empty!
- Big Thunder Mountain (had an FP that was completely irrelevant at that time but hey, I'd made the FP so I used it)
- Splash - walk on. Asked to re-ride as there wasn't anyone waiting to get on the ride at all, but was told that I had to walk through the whole queue and walk back, so I did that and...
- Splash, again a walk on
- Haunted Mansion walk on
- It's a Small World walk on
- Anna and Elsa walk on (was around 1.45am). The queue was EMPTY. This was more fun than doing Anna and Elsa at rope drop as because it was so empty, they actually had time to talk instead of trying to rush people through the queue!
- Cinderella and Rapunzel. Actually had to wait! But only about 5 minutes or so.
- Ariel's grotto walk on
- Under the Sea walk on
- Winnie the Pooh walk on
- Teacups walk on
- Dumbo walk on. They made an announcement at the end of the ride that if people wanted to re-ride, to just stay seated with the seat belts fastened.
- Barnstormer walk on
- Peter Pan walk on. Asked to re-ride (only about a couple of people in line) and they said yes, so...
- Peter Pan re-ride

That makes it a total of 12 rides and 3 character meets in the space of 3 hours at MK...

I loved my late nights at MK during my trip - in addition to last Saturday's late night, I also stayed late on Wednesday night (closing at 1am, left around 2am after doing some shopping) and Monday night (closing at midnight, left around 1am after doing some shopping). The wait times were short (lots of rides were walk ons, and even 7DMT was only about a 5 minute wait when I got in line at 11.58pm on Monday night) so I got to do lots, and there was something magical about being in MK when it's late and there aren't many people around.

Plus on two of those days I'd left so late that I actually got my own personal bus back to Pop - at the bus station, the CMs asked me if I was staying on-site, asked me where I was staying, and then told me to get on one of the several buses waiting at the station and tell the driver where I needed to go!

That sounds like an awesome experience. Do you know what the crowd rating was Saturday? We'll be there on a Saturday night in early June but I'm guessing our experience will be much different.

 

[maryj11]

If it was this past Saturday April 11th on easywdw says it was an 8 out of 10

 

[maryj11]

I may be going but we will only be able to stay until 12:30. I dont know if it will be worth it or not. Wonder how bad crowds will be 10:00 to 12:30 ? We may plan on going in the evening and ride during the parades and fireworks.

 

[Ciandella915]

We spent the first half of last Saturday at AK, took a nap, and then started on MK around 6:30. It was like having two days in one. Totally worth it, especially considering it was still packed with spring breakers! It poured raining and they canceled the parade; we waited it out and watched the mass exodus from under an awning on Main Street while we had a snack. Then we basically had the park to ourselves. We literally rode PoC by ourselves - nobody in the boat before or after ours either. Super creepy! It was great. We had walked on so many rides that we left totally satisfied at 1am as EMH were starting. We didn't even need them!

 

[Bluejean78]

I think it would be tough to get a 3 year old to cooperate at 8 the next morning after staying up very late the night before even with the time change. I know if my daughter (also 3) doesn't at least get 10 to 12 hours a sleep a day (including naps), she is tough to deal with the next morning.

Agree. Decided to take it easy the night we get in (tomorrow) even though it means wasting a ticket! (That was free, but still). RD for 8 am Saturday and then we have a 10 am CRT, one or two fast passes after and then will head home for a nap. Back at 7 for dinner, hopefully parade, fireworks and Anna and Elsa fastpass at 10. I'm hoping a nap happens but, if it doesn't, we have another A&E booked for Monday (which I'll cancel if we make it Saturday). Also have a light day sunday so we will see how it goes.

 

[mrzrich]

I once read a trip report written by somebody who had "tricked" their kids into staying up till 3 AM.

They ate breakfast in there room and arrived at AK for Rope Drop
They had an early light lunch around 11 and went back to their resort around noon
They swam
they had a very early light "dinner" around 2
They napped, closing the curtains, making the room dark.

At around 7PM they got up and gave the kids "breakfast" in the room
They got back to MK before 9PM and treated it as a whole new day, staying until 3 AM. When the kids got hungry they fed them light meals.
They said that their kids did great.
Of course everybody's kids are different.

 

[mom2rtk]

I once read a trip report written by somebody who had "tricked" there kids into staying up till 3 AM.

They ate breakfast in there room and arrived at AK for Rope Drop
They had an early light lunch around 11 and went back to their resort around noon
They swam
they had a very early light "dinner" around 2
They napped, closing the curtains, making the room dark.

At around 7PM they got up and gave the kids "breakfast" in the room
They got back to MK before 9PM and treated it as a whole new day, staying until 3 AM. When the kids got hungry they fed them light meals.
They said that their kids did great.
Of course everybody's kids are different.

Sounds like their kids did OK. I (as the parent) probably would fare far worse.